Casio EX-Z50 lives again

So, I have been searching since 2009 for the firmware for a Casio Exilim EX-Z50 digital camera.  I finally found it and it was a breeze to flash and now the camera is once again alive.  So I thought I would share this file with anyone else experiencing issues with their camera.

Now be warned I am not responsible for any issues that may arise from this procedure.

Ensure your camera battery is fully charged before beginning.

Step one download the firmware file from EX-50.bin  and place in on a SD-Card.

Step two insert the SD-Card into your camera. Power on your camera while holding the menu button. You should be prompted with a yes/no question about flashing new firmware.  Select YES.  You will then see NOW LOADING on screen.  You will see COMPLETE when the process is finished.

Step three power off the camera and remove the SD-Card.  Your camera should now be working.

Woolzies

So recently I was given the opportunity to review some dryer balls.  Well I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical going into it.  Then after talking to my wife and finding out how much we spent on fabric softener, I said let's give it a try.

So upon receiving the Woolzies I took some quick pictures of the packaging and read through the package info.  So lets get to the good stuff 

So what are Woolzies ?  They are 100% New Zealand wool balls.  They are supposed to naturally soften clothes, reduce static, reduce wrinkles and reduce drying time by 25%.

The package I received came with six XL Woolzies.  This is enough for a large load of laundry (eight are suggested for XL load).  All you have to do is put them in the dryer with your normal load of laundry.   So my family set out to do some laundry.  After washing the clothes without fabric softener, we put the load in the dryer with the six Woolzies.  We have a front load dryer with see thru door, so I watched the dryer in action for a while.   I was pretty shocked to see the Woolzies mix thru the laundry very well.  I can see how they may help dry the clothes faster.   They seem to create air pockets in the load of clothes, I suppose this could allow the air to circulate better and aid in faster dry times.  That is far as my trying to figure out how these work goes.

They are supposed to be noise free, but I did hear some banging around when the balls were not mixed in with the laundry.  After the dryer was done, I went to check out the results.  I was surprised to find the laundry was very soft,  I can't say I noticed any difference from when normally washed with fabric softener.   I did notice the lack of smell from the fabric softener,  But to be fair this was mentioned in the directions.  I haven't tried it yet, but the directions say you can take 2 of the Woolzies out , then apply a desired amount of pure essential oil to each ball and put them back in the dryer for 10 minutes with no heat.  This will produce heavenly smelling laundry.  I was also concerned about the possibility of the Woolzies producing more lint.  Upon inspection of the lint trap, there was no increase in lint, there may have even been less lint.

 

So to sum things up I am very pleased with the effectiveness of the Woolzies.   My family plans to continue using them.  According the Woolzies website six cost $34.99 and they are guaranteed to last 1000 loads.  So they will definitely pay for themselves vs the price fabric softener.  I would recommend giving them a try, worst case scenario you could take up juggling.

Woolzies website:  www.woolzies.com

Woolzies Facebook: www.facebook.com/Woolzies

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

This Teddy may be smarter than your average bear.

 

This Teddy is going to have the ability to hold conversations.  This is all possible by connecting your smart phone.  The phone will need data (will not need a wireless plan, if it has WIFI).   I encourage everyone to head over to Supertoy's Kick starter page to see all the details.

Supertoy - World’s First Natural Talking Teddy Bear

Samsung Galaxy S4

Just finished watching the press conference for the new Samsung Galaxy S4.  Looks pretty good.

Specs:

Colors:  Black Mist or White Frost
Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wifi a/b/g/n/ac (HT80), Bluetooth 4.0, IR LED (remote control), MHL 2.0
Camera: back 13 mega pixel, front 2 mega pixel
Memory:  2 gig lpddr3,  16gb/32/64gb
Sensors:  New Infrared proximity, Temp/Humidity
Battery: 2,600mah battery, removable


Dual camera mode:  shoot video with both cameras at the same time.  Now you can add your self to the video your are shooting. Can turn it on or off while recording. 

Sound and shot:  Add sound to pictures. 

Story album:  Auto create story album from photos. Tag photos.  Partnered with Blurb to have albums printed. 

There are a lot of other new camera features. Like Drama shot and Eraser (lets you remove stuff from photos)

S translator:  can translate spoken and written words.  All with out a network connection.

Adapt display:  Screen auto adjusts brightness based on content.

S voice drive: speech recognition for while driving. Handle almost all task via voice.

Glove Friendly

Group play: play music through multiple S4 devices, can even setup surround sound.  share photos, group games, and more.

Dual Video call:  Chaton app.  use both cameras at same time.

Air Gesture: Navigate phone with actually touching it.

Air call-accept: answer phone with swipe of hand

Smart scroll/pause:  will pause video if you look away.

S Health:  S band, body scale, Heart rate monitor.    Sensors help monitor your health data.

S view cover: protect the s4 but can display key info thru transparent window.


Samsung smart switch program for moving data to new S4

Sony PlayStation 4

Well I thought I would post a link to the new PlayStation 4 specs.

Take a look and let me know what you think.  I have to say I was expecting more.  It seems that with the PlayStation 3 backwards compatibility is gone.  So anyone looking to upgrade may want to keep an eye on the news.  Hopefully Sony will change their minds.


https://us.playstation.com/ps4/

Android App of the Week #1 100 Doors 2013

I thought I would start sharing what apps I have installed on my phone.  To get things going I am going to start with 100 Doors 2013. 

100 Doors 2013 is the sequel to 100 Doors. This is a challenging puzzle game where you have to figure out how to open the door to advance to the next level.  The game utilizes all the technology in you phone, for example you may need to shake your phone to get items to fall off shelves.   If you are looking for a challenge and way to pass some time give it a try.

Program of the Week #1 TeamViewer

Do you have a family member or friend that needs help with their computer?  Well TeamViewer may be of use.  TeamViewer is a remote control application.  Best of all it is free for personal use.

TeamViewer is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Mobile platforms.  With TeamViewer you will be able to access devices remotely through the Internet.  I stumbled across this application about a year ago and have been using it ever since.

TeamViewer is very simple to use.  All you have to do is download and install the application.  If you prefer not to install the application there is a instant support option.

After the application is installed or downloaded you just open it up. If the computer you are using is connected to the Internet, you will be prompted with a information window.  This windows has two parts  Allow Remote control and Control Remote computer.   The Allow Remote control portion provides the information needed to remote into your computer.  This information needs to be given to the user you want to allow remote control access.

TeamViewer has lots of features built in that I am still discovering. It definitely makes supporting family and friends much easier.  So if you are like me and need to see what is happening on the screen to repair it, check TeamViewer out.  They also have an app available on Android, IPhone, and IPad.  So you can lend a helping hand on the go or access your computer from the road.

More information can be found at http://www.teamviewer.com

Graph Search (Facebook)

Facebook launched its new Graph Search today.  It was announced as a way to learn more about others and make new connections.  The new search will allow you to search for people, places, photos and more.  Anytime there is a change, the first question seems to be what about my privacy.  Well Facebook says that it uses your current privacy settings and only searches content shared with you.

Unfortunately Graph is still in a beta stage. If you want to give it you can go to http://www.facebook.com/about/graphsearch to join the waiting list.

iLumina iPhone5 case by Bodydock

iLumina case by Bodydock

The iLumina case is unique.
It allows you to customize the look of your iPhone by choosing a base case color, followed by a band color. What makes the iLuminia stand out is the inserts. There are lots of graphics and art to choose from. There will also be a mirror, card holder and other inserts available. The case is made of scratch resistant plastic.

Each iLumina will come with 1 case, 1 iBand, 1 LuminArt (insert).

There is also a iLumina APP.  The APP utilizes PUSH Technology directly to your iPhone 5.  A text notification will prompt you when you are eligible for free iBands and LuminArt.

Overall the quality is very good.  This product is great for the iPhone user that likes to change the look of their phone frequently.